The fields of interventional radiology and cardiology require the removal of clot in an artery or vein to reduce the possibility of embolisms and vascular occlusions. Particularly, in the case of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a disease state in which a patient presents with a blood clot in a peripheral vein, the clot must be removed so that it does not embolize and cause a pulmonary artery occlusion which is usually fatal. These clots are typically removed with pharmacological or mechanical means. For instance urokinase, a lytic agent can be injected to the site of the clot to cause dissolution. Or mechanical removal is attempted with aspiration catheters or, alternatively catheter based baskets or other mechanical maceration means are employed.
The limitation of these devices include non-control of mobile clots during removal, systemic risks of lytic agents, and vein or arterial damage due to mechanical removal devices. Therefore, a need exists for an improved clot removal device for deep vein thrombosis